The Door of My Bathroom Leads to the Comic World!

"Fifty thousand yen!"

After hearing this number, silence filled the convenience store for a moment before the atmosphere erupted with excitement.

"Is this real?"

"Can you believe it? Just using cheap ingredients from a convenience store, he managed to create a dish worth 50,000 yen?"

"That's unbelievable!"

Eishi Tsukasa's group had a price standard three times higher than the third-year students, set at 60,000 yen. But with Eishi Tsukasa alone, they had nearly reached that target.

"Incredible!"

Megumi was equally amazed.

Sōma, on the other hand, felt even more dejected. He had received a negative value of 1,500 yen, while Eishi Tsukasa managed to achieve 50,000 yen. The gap was staggering.

Sui and Erina exchanged glances, both feeling the immense pressure that Eishi Tsukasa's performance created. The second-year Elite Ten members also looked unusually serious.

"You really are something, Tsukasa-senpai," Isshiki remarked with a smile.

"Oh, it's nothing," Eishi Tsukasa responded modestly, looking a bit embarrassed. "I added egg white to the chicken mousse to improve the texture. The mushrooms I used were canned and didn't taste great, so I fried them to remove the moisture. As for the red wine, there wasn't anything high-end available, so I used regular wine, boiled it down, and incorporated the flavor…"

"He's amazing. Even with canned mushrooms, cheap red wine, and frozen chicken—such inexpensive ingredients—he still created a high-end dish. Truly worthy of being the first seat."

"Yeah, he's on a different level."

The students nearby were all in awe.

"I'm back to full strength!" 

Suddenly, Rindō, who had been crouching in a corner, jumped up, showing off her sharp canine teeth.

When they had first arrived at the convenience store, Rindo had been curled up like a frozen snake, completely still. But now, warmed up by the store's heating, she had sprung back to life.

"Rindo, are you feeling better?" Eishi asked with a smile, knowing that she had been suffering from the cold.

"If you're still cold, you should rest. We can handle the exam," Tōsuke said calmly, confident that they could pass without her help.

"It's fine. I just needed to warm up a bit," Rindo laughed, fully rejuvenated.

As time passed, most of the students who had entered the exam were finishing their dishes, and several had already been eliminated. However, those who passed didn't leave immediately; they stayed behind to see how much the dishes of the Elite Ten would be priced at.

Everyone believed that Eishi Tsukasa's score of 50,000 yen was unbeatable, and that no one would surpass him.

A while later, more students approached Dojima Gin to have their dishes tasted.

"Akira Hayama, twenty-five thousand yen."

"Megumi Tadokoro, twenty thousand yen."

"Tōsuke Megishima, thirty-five thousand yen."

"Momo Akanegakubo, forty thousand yen."

"Damn, only five thousand short," Akira muttered, feeling a bit dissatisfied with the small gap between his dish and those of the Elite Ten.

Kuga and Eizan also scored around 30,000 yen.

Megumi, on the other hand, felt relieved. To her, as long as her dish didn't have a negative value, it was fine.

"Do you really think you're only five thousand yen behind the Elite Ten? You're being naive. They weren't even trying their hardest," Erina said calmly.

"What?" Akira and the others were surprised by her words.

"After all, this is just an exam, not a cooking battle. Why would they go all out?" Erina added coldly.

"Tch…" Akira and the others frowned. Despite giving their best effort, it seemed the gap between them and the Elite Ten remained substantial.

Next, Erina stepped forward with her dish, presenting it to Dojima Gin.

"Lemon Tender Beef."

The dish was deceptively simple. She boiled thin slices of beef, then mixed them with shredded onion and cucumber, added sugar, salt, and a little chicken broth, and finally drizzled it with a few drops of lemon juice.

Dojima tasted the beef, finding it extraordinarily tender, almost melting in his mouth. The simplicity of the dish belied its complexity. In Erina's hands, it was a magical transformation—crispy, refreshing, and fragrant.

"How did you make the beef so tender?" Dojima Gin couldn't help but ask.

The frozen beef from convenience stores typically lacked quality, but Erina's beef tasted as tender and fresh as the finest 5A-grade cuts served in high-end restaurants.

"I used mashed papaya to marinate the beef beforehand. Papaya contains papain, an enzyme that tenderizes the meat. The lemon juice has a similar effect. After blanching the beef in boiling water, I immediately cooled it down in ice water to lock in the tenderness," Erina explained. "The cucumber and onion were also chilled in cold water to keep them crisp."

"I see," Gin nodded approvingly. "Papaya, lemon, and ice—these are all common items available at convenience stores, yet you've used them to elevate the dish to a high-end level. Forty-five thousand yen."

"Forty-five thousand yen!"

The students were stunned.

This was the highest price since Eishi Tsukasa's 50,000 yen. Even Momo Akanegakubo, with her superb dish, had only reached 40,000 yen.

"That's amazing, Miss Erina!" Megumi looked at her with admiration.

"Erina, when did you become so good?" Eishi, Isshiki, and the others stared at her in surprise.

Erina was only the tenth seat and a first-year student. They had thought her skill level was below theirs, but clearly, she had become far stronger than they had anticipated. Even though none of them had given their all in this exam, reaching 45,000 yen wasn't an easy feat.

Eizan knew he couldn't have created a dish of that caliber using only convenience store ingredients.

"That was incredible, Erina," Sui complimented her as she walked down.

Erina, who usually dismissed such praise, suddenly blushed. A faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips, and a warmth bloomed in her heart.

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